Plot to topple Govt. exposed

MPs offered US$ 1million each to vote against Govt:

Uditha Kumarasinghe and Irangika Range

KOTTE: Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya yesterday disclosed in Parliament that businessman Charles Gnanakoone in collaboration with traitorous forces has launched a well planned conspiracy to topple the Government.

Raising a privilege matter, Jayasuriya said the intention of the conspiracy is to compel the MPs to vote against the Government at a critical juncture by giving them a huge amount of money as bribes.

Gnanakoone has pledged to grant one million US Dollars (Rs.110 million) to an MP who votes against the Government. The seriousness of the conspiracy launched to topple the Government can be very well understood from this, he said.

According to Jayasuriya, the businessman has put forward the same proposal to several MPs of the UNP Democratic Group. They have vehemently refused to fall prey to these overtures. They have brought this matter to his notice as the leader of the UNP Democratic Group.

“I would like to tell this august assembly, any MP of the UNP Democratic Group is not ready to betray the country for money. We decided to extend our support to the Government to maintain a stable Government and defeat brutal terrorism and safeguard the country for our future generation,” he said.

In order to prevent the measures taken by the Government to defeat terrorism, a well planned conspiracy has been launched to topple the Government.

The businessman’s main task is to offer bribes to MPs at a crucial juncture by compelling them to vote against the Government, the Minister said.

“No new mention is required about Gnanakoone. He had been taken into custody in connection with the assassination of late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. It is also no secret of the direct links Gnanakoone maintains with the LTTE.”

The main allegation levelled against Gnanakoone was the role played by the him to convince Kadirgamar that the LTTE will not cause him any harm as long as he holds the Foreign Minister’s portfolio thus paving the way for the LTTE to accomplish its vile deed, Jayasuriya said. When the House was adjourned yesterday, Chief Government Whip Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle on the approval of the Speaker tried to raise a privilege issue on behalf of Minister Jayasuriya.

However the Chief Opposition Whip Joseph Michael Perera pointed out that a privilege matter should be raised only by the MP concerned whose privileges was deemed to have be violated.

Finally Jayasuriya raised his privilege matter. The UNP MPs who interrupted Jayasuriya’s speech requested him to disclose the name of the businessman who attempted to give money to his MPs. This led to a uproar with UNP MPs continuously interrupting Jayasuriya’s speech.